Sweat off the shallots in a touch of olive oil with the garlic. Shallots and Garlic do not take that long to cook and they do overcook quite easily. Once they are cooked they should taste relatively sweet. Once the shallots are ready add in the tin of chopped tomatoes and turn the heat down quite low. Add a touch of salt and add pepper for seasoning. For an extra touch add half a teaspoon of tomato puree to add more flavour and richness.

Put the pasta into a pan of water and shake in the salt to season the pasta. As the salt cooks with the pasta the pasta absorbs the salt which will help the pasta stick to the sauce. Add a small amount of olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking together. Keep tasting little parts of the pasta and once it is soft but still has some bite it is ready (al dente). Drain in a colander and add onto plate and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil onto the pasta.

Add fresh basil into the tomato sauce and cook for 1 minute. Once ready serve on top of the pasta. Garnish the dish with grated parmesan cheese, and a fresh basil leaf on the top.

This is my simple Tomato and Basil Tagliatelle one of my favourite dishes. All comments and tips are appreciated.